It was a
rainy day, but not too bad for us, as the train made its way through the countryside
toward the big city of Milan. It was
quite a contrast to the serene Tuscan views around Florence. Having hauled our luggage, which gets heavier
with each stop, out to the taxi area, we gave the address and were delivered to
the street. Alas, the guy who was to meet us was not there. Thank goodness we now have cell phones that
work in Europe, as John was able to contact him, and it turns out we were a
block away from the correct building.
Phew! There were some tense
moments while we wondered what to do in a big strange city where we don’t speak
the language. Eventually all was well
and the place is very modern, comfortable, and has a fabulous Jacuzzi shower. So, the adventures in Milan could begin.
The centre
of the city houses the most interesting buildings and activities. It is easily accessed by subway from where we
are staying. Heather and I went
exploring while John rested his swollen knee, but he joined us later. We first encountered the Duomo. This word has been mentioned several times
before. It seems like every city in
Italy tries to outdo the others with the cathedral. Here is Milan’s contribution. It`s the fourth largest cathedral in the world and can house 40,000 people!
Magnificant stained window inside the Duomo
Shopping is,
of course, one of the main activities in Milan.
Heather and I had great fun “window shopping” as most items were just a
little beyond our budgets. Many times
today Heather said “Zoe would love this!”
It’s a good thing daughter Zoe isn’t here, with all the fashion eye
candy to be had. The Shopping mall, or
Galleria as it is known here, is worth a visit itself, even without any
shopping. It is amazing how many
beautifully dressed people are walking around.
It really makes tourists like ourselves stand out.
On John’s “bucket
list” was to go to an opera at La Scala.
We went to the ticket office to see if this would be possible, only to
discover that the only opera this week was sold out. A kind gentleman did suggest that if you wait
in line at the side door, there are some gallery tickets available. It meant lining up twice in a crowd and being
very persistent, but we did it! John and
I went to see La Donna Del Largo (The Lady of the Lake) by Rossini. It was a brilliant production which we
thoroughly enjoyed, even though our sight lines were very much obstructed. They even had small screens to provide the
translation. It was an evening to
remember.
They asked us so kindly, so we did.
Here are some other views from our day out and about in Old Milano:
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